Sarah, Duchess of York has found herself in the headlines once more after reports surfaced that the former wife of Prince Andrew made “repeated contact” with producers of hit Netflix drama The Crown to offer an “in view” of how her character should be portrayed.
Dubbed “Fergie” by the press, the controversial former royal contacted Left Bank Pictures, a British film and television company that produces The Crown exclusively for Netflix, to seek a partnership on a potential TV adaption of her Victorian romance novel Her Heart for a Compass.
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Whilst the erotically charged novel may have been at the forefront of Fergie’s conversation with the producers, it didn’t take long for the Duchess to steer the conversation towards The Crown.
According to sources close to the production company, Fergie offered to help out with information on her character and the inner workings of the royal family – something she has now fervently denied.
A source close to the Duchess told the Daily Mail: “The Duchess was in contact with Andy Harries, who produces The Crown, last year and they had a discussion about adapting her novel into a TV series,” the source said.
“They did not discuss The Crown or any idea of her helping with the series in any way. Such a suggestion was made separately at one point by a mutual friend, but was not progressed by either side.”
Despite the above denial, during her 2021 interview with Town and Country magazine, the 63-year-old claimed that producers of The Crown “turned down her help” previously when she offered to share her personal insights in order to help make her character’s portrayal more accurate.
In equal measure, the Duchess has often spoken out about the controversial show, revealing that she has watched it and thought it was “filmed beautifully”.
“I thought it was filmed beautifully. The cinematography was excellent,” she told US Weekly earlier this year.
Of her wedding making an appearance during season four, she added: “I loved the way they put my wedding in as well.”
When speaking to Town & Country, Sarah also suggested that the show needs to cover her story a little bit more. “Hello? Where is Fergie?” she joked at the time.
